Gubernatorial Candidate Chad Bianco, Veteran Advocate Kate Monroe Walk Skid Row to Address California’s Homeless Crisis
Kate Monroe and Chad Bianco
Kate Monroe and Chad Bianco Speak to a Man on Skid Row
Kate Monroe and Chad Bianco Speak to a Man on Skid Row
Man on Skid Row
Men on Skid Row
Monroe, who works to get homeless veterans off the streets and connected with critical Department of Veterans Affairs aid, is known for her investigative work on homelessness and her actionable solution, The Basecamp, a structured, scalable and accountability-driven transitional model. She walked the streets of Skid Row alongside Bianco to show where California’s more than $20 billion in homelessness spending has fallen short, calling out what she says is waste, neglect and political inaction.
Skid Row encompasses 50 square blocks in downtown Los Angeles and has become one of the most visible symbols of California’s homelessness crisis. In 2024, Los Angeles County reported an estimated 3,800 people living unhoused within the district, many struggling with severe mental illness, substance use disorders and chronic health conditions.
Monroe emphasized that the concentration of human suffering within such a small geographic area reflects years of policy failure, arguing that despite billions in public funding, the crisis has only deepened, leaving vulnerable populations, including veterans, without clear pathways to stability, treatment and permanent housing.
Monroe said The Basecamp is designed to address what she describes as the fundamental failure of most homelessness programs: focusing solely on housing without treating the underlying causes that keep people on the streets. Unlike traditional models that require sobriety as a condition of entry, The Basecamp would be a phased, residential community that meets people where they are, allowing those struggling with substance use to enter immediately and begin recovery on site.
"There needs to be a choice," she said. "You can go to jail or you can go to this basecamp. Now you've got time to be clean, now the services can find you, now we can connect you with your family."
"We're going to stop calling it a homeless crisis," said Bianco. "There are plenty of places for these people to live. They don't want to live there and they aren't going to accept them as their homes because of their drug and alcohol addictions and mental health. Those have to be addressed."
The first phase centers on stabilization and getting clean, followed by structured steps that provide accountability, mental health care, life-skills training, job placement support and a clear pathway to permanent housing. The goal, Monroe said, is not just to remove people from the streets temporarily, but to equip them to sustain a stable life long after they leave the program. She emphasized that true solutions must confront addiction, trauma and mental health head-on.
"We don't want to send you to jail. Jail isn't the answer to this situation, but we have these rehabilitation centers," said Bianco. "You get to pick. Pick which one you want. We want to get you help. We want to get you clean. We want to get you mentally stable. We know it's a possibility. But it is not a possibility when law enforcement takes them into custody, walks them in the front door and leads them out the back door, back to the same environment we took them from."
Monroe urges voters to support Bianco’s bid for governor, saying his leadership is essential to making The Basecamp a reality. She emphasized that lasting solutions to homelessness require accountability, rehabilitation and political will, and called on Californians to choose leadership willing to invest in programs that address root causes and offer people a real path off the streets.
About Kate Monroe:
Kate Monroe is the CEO of VetComm, where she leads efforts to help veterans access the Department of Veterans Affairs benefits they have earned, often preventing or ending veteran homelessness by connecting individuals to critical support and services. A nationally recognized advocate for accountability-driven homelessness solutions, Monroe is known for her on-the-ground investigative work documenting conditions on city streets and challenging government waste and inaction. She is the creator of The Basecamp, a structured, scalable transitional model designed to move people off the streets quickly while providing clear expectations, support services and measurable outcomes.
Rachel Hernandez
Monroe Media
rachel@monroemedia.com
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